Discussion Questions On Human Origins

Discussion questions #1 1. In light of scientific advances in our understanding of human origins, what have we learned about our relationship to the earth and other living species?
Humans have evolved in gathering food. Humans have evolved in how tools are made and materials used in making these tools. Animal domestication is just as common today as it was then, except today humans use many more animals, etc. What is very interesting is how recent roles between genders are difference than they were back then. Both women and men share responsibilities. 2. How did the physical and mental abilities that humans gradually evolved enable them to adapt their way of life to new environments during the Great Ice Age?
Three critical biological traits, bipedalism, a very large brain, and the location of the larynx, are due to natural selection. Bipedalism evolved because it provided australopithecines with some advantage for survival. Larger brains had greater survivability such as enabling Homo habilis to locate things to eat throughout the seasons of the year. Homo sapiens are believed to be connected to the emergence of language with the intellectual and social capabilities that humans we have. 3. After nearly 2 million years of physical and cultural development, how did human communities in different parts of
the world learn to manipulate nature? 4. What cultural achievements characterized life in the Neolithic period?
Global climate changes seem to have induced some societies to enhance their food supplies with domesticated plants and animals.
For Neolithic Religion, a society’s religious beliefs tend to reflect to nature. For example, the religion of food gatherers tended to center on sacred groves, springs, and wild animals. Another contribution was the dissemination of the large language families that form the basis of most languages spoken today. Most early farmers lived in small villages, but in some parts of the world a few villages grew into more densely populated towns that were centers of trade and specialized crafts creating an emergency of
towns. 5. How did Mesopotamian civilization emerge, and what technologies promoted its advancement?
Mesopotamian civilization emerged in stages of development: establishment of sedentary life, surplus of food production with irrigation and flood control, evolving into independent city-states, social stratification, writing, and many others. Technological advances were metal production, potter’s wheel, wheeled vehicles, improvement of shipbuilding giving rise to greater economic specialization, improvement of productivity, and greater surpluses. 6. What role did the environment and religion play in the evolution of Egyptian civilization?
Egyptian civilization adapted to the conditions of the Nile River Valley which made is successful. The pharaonic rule was based on the divine right of kings where beliefs in the divine and its afterlife were ingrained in ancient Egypt. Gods were worshiped at the center of the cult temples where the shrine was kept. 7. What does the material evidence tell us about the nature of the Indus Valley civilization, and what is the most likely reason for its collapse?
The Indus Valley flourished around the Indus River basin and was the largest ancient civilization in the world. The people were technologically advanced in developing new techniques in metallurgy and handicraft and produced various metals. It is speculated that the decline was caused by the invasion the Aryans.